Tag Archives: learning

It’s quite difficult for newbies to comprehend the idea of map/flatmap. This post simplifies the terms functions, Applicatives and Monads with some clear examples of how they use map/flatmap. Make sure to check it out!

I’ve been burned by string-typed selectors in the past so I was happy to find this excellent post regarding the new Swift 2.2 #selector functionality and creating extensions of Selector to allow syntax sugar 🍧🍪🍰🍭🍦.

Xcode is quite the beast and intimidating with its very detailed functionality. These are some really great tips/keyboard shortcuts to help speed up and/or access some really useful functions of Xcode. Also don’t miss some bonus tips in the first comment of the article.

Podcasts are an essential part of my learning workflow. I’ve only discovered the power of podcasts in the past couple of years, and I find them super useful for learning new things and keeping up with the latest news and tips and tricks!

I subscribe to many different podcasts, but right now I’ve been mainly sticking to iOS Development-themed shows to help accelerate my learning rate. I’m confident in saying that it’s accomplishing that goal!

Typically I’ll digest these podcasts in the shower using my Bluetooth speaker, in my car to and from work, and sometimes during work.

Here are my top picks (in no particular order)!

Top Picks

More Than Just Code

Description: Each week, Aaron Vegh, Jaime Lopez, Mark Rubin (sometimes Greg Heo), and Tim Mitra discuss iOS and Mac development, including current issues, what developers are talking about, what their apps are about, what they are using to create their apps and what advice they have for other developers (or those looking to become one). It also features news, notes and tech tips for developers.

Why I Like It: It’s got a Canadian perspective, eh! 🇨🇦 A minimum of 50% Canadian hosts—sometimes 100%! 👌 The crew has great chemistry and each episode is always full of entertaining shenanigans. The show talks about real-world problems developers face and how they deal with them. Also I always love the picks.

Under The Radar

Description: From development and design to marketing and support, Under the Radar is all about independent app development. It’s never longer than 30 minutes. Hosted by Marco Arment and David Smith.

Why I like It: Marco and David are influential and successful indie developers who know their stuff. Each episode is focused on a single focused topic that’s to the point and under 30 minutes. Start from the beginning as it’s rather new.

iOhYes

Description: A podcast by iOS developers for iOS developers, delivering news, tips, and rants for professional iOS/Mac developers, with something for enterprise and indie developers alike.
Hosted by Darryl Thomas, John Sextro, and Nolan O’Brien.

Why I Like It: These guys always have very focused, intelligent, technical discussions that are very detailed—we’re talking calling out and describing actual APIs. I always come away learning something new and/or understand better! Nolan is excellent at explaining technical topics.

Release Notes

Description: Release Notes is a weekly podcast about the business of Mac and iOS indie software development. It discusses inspiration, design, trends, and tools — everything but the code. The show is hosted by Charles Perry and Joe Cieplinski. Each week it covers topics for the new or curious independent developer looking to make his or her way in the iOS and Mac ecosystem. Tips and tricks, success stories as well as failures.

Why I Like It: It covers a wide range of topics with really great perspectives. I’m always learning something new about the business side of software. Great hosts!

Core Intuition

Description: A podcast about indie software development for the Mac, iOS and other Apple technologies. Hosted by Daniel Jalkut and Manton Reese.

Why I Like It: Daniel and Manton are down to earth hosts who have great chemistry and aren’t afraid to say it like it is. It’s always a great way to keep up on the latest trends and often discussion of the softer parts of being a developer. Lots of tomfoolery.

Concepts In Code

Why It Missed The Top: It’s a great podcast that discussed really good best practices, but sometimes it goes a bit on a tangent and it’s also a bit difficult to just listen to since it relies on the github project discussed. Great discussion nonetheless!

Are there any I’m missing that you find are key? If so tweet them at me @jstheoriginal or leave a comment below. 🙌

P.S. I use Marco’s Overcast podcast app…if you do as well make sure to hit the Recommend button on these podcasts!

I’ve always wanted to get into iOS development, but always looked at Objective-C as an intimidating stepping stone. I first learned programming in Java; Objective-C looked very different so I knew it would be a big challenge to take on.

Once Apple announced its new Swift programming language, I got excited because it seemed much less daunting and had similarities to Java.

I’ve been learning Swift for about two months now and am loving every minute of it! It’s a fantastic language with really great potential. I plan to share some of the best code/tips I learn here. I’m all about doing things the right way and keeping my code concise and clean. 😀